Whether you are a retailer or a consumer, it’s important to know the facts about creditcardskimmers. As described by @NACSonline, skimming is the method by which [criminals] obtain customer card data from the magnetic strip to create a counterfeit card to use either online or in stores. With EMV compliance just 18 months away, “the window of opportunity for thieves to get this data is closing.”

Nacsonline article featuring contributors Paige Anderson and Linda Toth, it points out that retailers have many options to protect their business from skimming; however, the one action every retailer can take is changing out the universal locks on their fuel dispensers.

“Making sure those locks are unique is one basic security requirement…it doesn’t cost much and can be done easily,” said Anderson.

If you are reading this and don’t own a convenience store you may think this doesn’t apply to you. True, skimming may not effect your business but if your use a credit card to purchase fuel, it could have a very negative effect on your bank account. As consumers we all need to be aware of these criminals and know what to look for. Seriously, we are all very busy and who has extra hours of time to fight credit card breaches? NOBODY! Below we have included a link from @Nacs TV that is very informative and shows you exactly what to look for before handing your card over to a gas pump!

The state Department of Agriculture is working on a program to train convenience store personnel on how to spot skimmers at gas pumps.

June 9, 2017

​RALEIGH, N.C. – Skimmers at the gas pump is a problem that isn’t going away, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture is taking steps to ensure those devices are spotted quickly and removed, WNCN-TV reports. Recently, one North Carolina gas station discovered skimmers installed at the pump four different times in one month.

During its routine inspections of gas pumps, the agency looks for skimmers as part of its checklist. “[Skimming] certainly is a growing problem,” said Stephen Benjamin, director of the N.C. Agriculture Department Standards Division. “It’s a routine part of our inspections now to look for those skimmers.”

But with those inspections only happening annually, the department decided to ramp up efforts to combat skimming in other ways. To do that, the agency has been developing a training program for convenience store employees on how to spot skimmers or suspicious activity around the gas pump. The program will have online photos and reference material for gas station workers.

Obvious signs of tampering include broken security tape or ill-fitting card readers. Benjamin said the training program will teach some of the basic security measures employees can take to combat skimming.

“If they walk around [the pumps] a couple of times a day and inspect [them], that’s an opportunity to take a glance,” and ensure the pumps haven’t been tampered with, he said.